Clip



June 23, 1970 Y. DIVDRY CLIP Filed Oct. 24, 1968 United States Patent CII Yves Didry, 44 Avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier, Montreuil-sous-Bois,France Filed Oct. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 770,213 Claims priority,application France, Oct. 26, 1967,

26,01 Int. Cl. F16h 5/06 US. Cl. 287-18935 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE In one known system for assembling two metal section memberswithout damage to their surfaces, a bracket in the form of a rightangled member is clamped against the inner surface of each of the twometal section members by a spring clamping plate.

In this known system, bending of the spring strip enables the same to beintroduced into the associated section member and provides the force foranchoring the terminal edges of the spring strip in the section member,by construction, however, spring strip width governs the internaldimension of the section member and angle-iron wall thickness, theinternal dimension of the section member being the sum of spring stripwidth and angle-iron wall thickness.

This feature is a disadvantage for some constructions, since the threemembers which it is required to assemble together may differ in theirdimensions for reasons of manufacture; consequently, a clip of the kinddescribed is of use only for accurately dimensioned metal structures andcannot be used for assemblies of structures made of materials, such asconcrete, which are associated with less dimensional accuracy.

Another disadvantage of such a clip is that an appropriate extractiontool must be used to remove the clip at disassembly.

The clip according to the invention obviates these two disadvantages,thus improving operating conditions and reducing building costs.

The clip according to the invention is embodied from round or squarespring steel bent to form at least three arms-one central arm and twolateral arms-the ends of the lateral arms serving mainly for anchorage.The two dihedrons formed by the bending step between the central arm andthe two lateral arms are of variable opening to help take up dimensionaltolerances in the items which it is required to assemble.

The clip can be stressed in its bending plane and in a planeperpendicular thereto to provide a torsion giving improved anchorage ofthe ends of the lateral arms in the dihedron formed by thesection-member lip with its adjacent plane.

The plan size of the clip according to the invention varies in inverseproportion to its longitudinal extent, its minimum plan sizecorresponding to the clip being c0mpletely flati.e., to the shape of theround or square spring steel stock before the same is bent to form thethree arms. Between this minimum size and the siZe ice in any operativeposition, the clip automatically adjusts itself to a shape causing thecentral arm to bear in the right dihedron of the connecting angle-ironand the ends of the lateral arms to be anchored in the dihedron whichthe section-member lip forms with its adjacent plane, the effectivenessof the clip resulting from the fact that its two ends are anchored bythe load. However, the anchorage of at least one of the two lateral armscan be rendered temporarily inoperative by using an ordinary lever toseparate the two ends of the lateral arms from one another. This featuremakes adjustment very easy, enabling as it does the angle-iron to beslid relatively to the bearing section member without any need towithdraw the clip, the anchorage of which is restored immediately thetwo ends of the lateral arms cease to be separated from one another.

Details of the invention will be disclosed by the description, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a section-member assembled with itsconnecting angle-iron with the use of the clip according to theinvention in its preferred form of square spring steel stock, thecentral arm of the clip being trapezoidal in shape to spread the bearingload over the angle-iron;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the same sectionmember assembledwith the same angle-iron but using the simplest embodiment of the clipaccording to the invention, the clip of this embodiment having threearms, the two lateral arms being of different lengths and inclinations;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the same sectionmember assembledwith the same angle-iron but using an embodiment of the clip accordingto the invention wherein one of the two lateral arms has a number ofbends;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the assembly shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the same section member assembledwith the same angle-iron but with the use of a clip according to theinvention wherein the central arm is loop-shaped in order, as in thecase shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to spread the bearing load over theangle-iron;

FIG. Sis an end view of the assembly shown in FIG. 7.

In the drawings, a known form of section-member comprises three surfaces13 and a lip 4; a known of con necting angle-iron comprises a plane 5tangential to seetion-member surface 1 and a plane 6 tangential tosectionmember surface 2, the planes 5, 6 forming the sides of a rightdihedron.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the clip has a central arm 7 which is in atrapezoidal shape so as to increase the bearing surface of angle-ironplane 5, the plane of the trapezium forming, before introduction of theclip into the section-member, a dihedron angle of with the plane of thetwo lateral arms 8, 9 of the clip, this dihedron becoming acute-angledafter introduction into the section member; the two ends of the lateralarms become anchored in the dihedron formed by section-member lip 4 andthe surface 3 adjacent lip 4.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the clip central arm 1 is simply recti inearso as to bear in the right dihedron of the angle-iron 5, 6.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, one of the lateral arms of the clipcomprises three bends 1012; the other items are unchanged as comparedwith FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the central arm of the clip comprises a loop13 which, as in the case shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, helps to spread thebearing load over angle-iron plane 5, the plane of the loop forming,before introduction of the clip into the section-member, a 90 dihedronwith the plane of the two lateral arms 8, 9, such dihedron becomingacute-angled, as can be seen in FIG. 8, after introduction into thesection member.

A clip of this kind is very easy to position, whatever the shape of itscentral arm may be, and it is self-removing immediately one of the endsof the lateral arms is raised above the lip 4.

What I claim is:

1. A clip for connecting two angled structural members one within theother, where one member is channel-shaped with a lip on one leg,comprising a bar of spring steel having a substantially greater lengththan its thickness, the bar having a central arm and two lateral armsbeing of different length and inclination than the central arm; avariable angle formed between the lateral arms and the central arm whenthe clip is inserted against the inner surface corner of a structuralmember; the ends of the lateral arms being anchored by the load in thedihedral which the lipped leg of the channel member forms with itsadjacent plane.

2. A clip as defined in claim 1, wherein the bar of steel is round.

3. A clip as defined in claim 2, wherein the central arm forms a closedloop for frictional engagement in an oblique plane to the plane of thelateral arms and in a plane parallel .to the planes of thelegs of thechannelshaped member.

4. A clip as defined in claim 1, where the bar of steel is square.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,714,432 8/1955 Blanchard 52-5022,742,116 4/1956 Fitzgerald 287-18935 2,897,620 8/1959 Fitzgerald287-18935 3,205,628 9/1965 Frisk 52-222 3,323,819 6/1967 Barker287-18936 3,344,573 10/1967 Martin et a1. 52-400 3,355,203 11/1967Stauffer 287-18935 3,380,769 4/1968 Piget 287-18936 3,416,271 12/1968Heeney 52-476 3,428,326 2/1969 C apsaddle 52-397 FOREIGN PATENTS 538,9302/1956 Italy.

MARION PARSONS, 111., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-397

